CN215743153U

CN215743153U - Fluid mixing device

Info

Publication number: CN215743153U
Application number: CN202121883838.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王昱麒
Original assignee: Cesco Bioengineering Inc
Current assignee: Yishike Cell Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-08-17
Filing date: 2021-08-12
Publication date: 2022-02-08
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-12
Also published as: TWM603788U

Abstract

The utility model discloses a fluid mixing device, comprising: a flexible bag that receives and contains a fluid; a support unit fixed to an inner side of the flexible bag; the mixing unit comprises a shaft rod and a magnetic part, wherein one end of the shaft rod or the shaft rod is connected with the supporting unit through a first rotating part, the mixing unit is suspended in the flexible bag, and the other end of the shaft rod is connected with the magnetic part; and the driving unit drives the magnetic piece to rotate through magnetic force. The fluid mixing device of the present invention utilizes the support unit as a suspension system to stabilize and secure the mixing unit, providing a more stable mechanical structure while increasing the fluid mixing effect than securing the mixing unit directly from the bottom of the flexible bag. In addition, the suspension system can enable the mixing unit and the driving unit to be driven by the driving unit under the condition that the mixing unit and the driving unit are not aligned with each other, so that the operation is more flexible.

Description

Fluid mixing device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the technical field of mixing equipment, in particular to a fluid mixing device.

Background

Disposable products are becoming more and more popular in the pharmaceutical industry because they can avoid cleanliness validation, reduce costs, and improve production turnover. The mixing device is essential in some manufacturing processes and the design of a disposable mixing device is of critical importance, since its braking parts may wear the container, leading to malfunction or risk of contamination or leakage during operation.

Most pharmaceutical solutions, reagents and suspensions produced on an industrial scale require highly controlled, thorough mixing to achieve the desired yield and to ensure a uniform distribution of the ingredients in the final product. This is usually done using a shaking or rotating tank, but using a mechanical stirrer or impeller has a better mixing effect.

For disposable mixing bag systems, the simplest design is bottom driven with a support and impeller affixed to the bottom film of the flexible bag. For example, U.S. patent publication No. US07481572B2 discloses a bottom-drive mixing bag system having a rigid support and mounting member, and an impeller with or without bearings to achieve agitation by a magnetic drive external to the bag. The rolling elements utilize impeller bearings, ambient magnetic fields, or magnetic fields generated by superconductors as a means of rotating the impeller to reduce friction during mixing. This design is simple but in practice requires a limit to the scale, size and number of impellers, and thus the mixing efficiency or size of the mixing device.

To improve mixing efficiency and to secure the bottom drive in large mixing systems, a double propeller system was designed, such as the 2500L XDUO Plus mixing system from GE Healthcare. A multiple impeller design would require multiple drive units and motors. The bag becomes wider in size and increases the projected area, thereby occupying a larger operating area. Another disadvantage of the bottom drive system is that the alignment between the mixing device located inside the flexible bag and the drive device located outside the flexible bag is critical, and if not properly aligned, the drive device cannot drive the mixing device within the flexible bag, possibly resulting in mixing failure. Thus, a top drive hybrid system is also created in order to put more propellers into the shaft and achieve better mixing efficiency. However, the top drive system makes it difficult to fold the flexible bag for transport and the size of the mixing bag becomes cumbersome. More types of packaging systems are required to protect the fragile mixing bag, and the size and additional load on the packaging increases shipping costs and burdens of handling and waste disposal.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model aims to provide a fluid mixing device to solve the technical problem that the mixing device cannot be driven due to improper alignment of a driving device and the mixing device in the existing bottom driving system, so that the mixing fails.

The present invention provides a fluid mixing device comprising: a flexible bag that receives and contains a fluid; a support unit fixed to an inner side of the flexible bag; the mixing unit comprises a shaft rod and a magnetic part, wherein one end of the shaft rod or the shaft rod is connected with the supporting unit through a first rotating part, the mixing unit is suspended in the flexible bag, and the other end of the shaft rod is connected with the magnetic part; and the driving unit drives the magnetic piece to rotate through magnetic force.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the support unit includes: the top cover is connected with one end of the shaft lever or the shaft lever through the first rotating piece; a support member fixed to the inside of the flexible bag; and one end of the support is connected with the top cover, and the other end of the support is connected with the supporting piece.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the support unit includes: the top cover is connected with the shaft body of the shaft rod through the first rotating piece; the first supporting piece and the second supporting piece are relatively fixed on the inner side of the flexible bag, and the first supporting piece is connected with one end of the shaft rod through a second rotating piece; and one end of the bracket is connected with the top cover, and the other end of the bracket is connected with the second supporting piece.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the top cover includes a hollow structure, and the top cover has a plurality of openings communicating the inside and the outside of the hollow structure, wherein one of the openings is connected to a port of the flexible bag by a conduit for allowing fluid to flow into and out of the flexible bag.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the support unit includes: the supporting piece is fixed on the inner side of the flexible bag, the supporting piece is opposite to the driving unit, and the supporting piece is connected with one end of the shaft rod through the first rotating piece.

In the fluid mixing apparatus of the present invention, the support unit further includes a suspension rod connected to the support member from an outside of the flexible bag to fix the shaft.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the mixing unit further includes at least one impeller, and the impeller is disposed on the shaft or the magnetic member.

The present invention also provides a fluid mixing device comprising: a flexible bag for receiving and containing a fluid; a support member fixed to the inside of the flexible bag; the hanging bracket comprises a top cover and a bracket extending outwards from the center of the top cover, wherein the bracket is provided with a magnetic part; one end of the shaft lever is connected with the top cover through a second rotating piece, and the other end of the shaft lever is connected with the supporting piece through a first rotating piece, so that the hanging frame is hung in the flexible bag; and the driving unit drives the hanging bracket and the shaft lever to rotate through magnetic force.

In the fluid mixing device of the present invention, the fluid mixing device further includes at least one impeller, and the impeller is disposed on the hanger.

The present invention also provides a fluid mixing device comprising: a flexible bag that receives and contains a fluid; a support unit fixed to an inner side of the flexible bag; and the mixing unit comprises a shaft lever and a magnetic part, one end of the shaft lever or the shaft lever is connected with the supporting unit through a first rotating part, so that the mixing unit is suspended in the flexible bag, and the other end of the shaft lever is connected with the magnetic part.

The present invention has the following advantages and capabilities to enable a bottom-driven agitation system to perform more efficient mixing:

1. supporting a larger impeller; 2. a plurality of impellers can be fixed from the bottom; 3. is suitable for disposable flexible bags; 4. a low shear stress stirring environment; 5. the stirring speed per minute can be increased. Where larger impellers are supported is particularly important in mammalian cell culture, lower shear stress agitation is necessary, which is largely dependent on the size of the impeller. For large mixing vessels or bioreactors, multiple impellers are also important. In addition, the alignment between the mixing unit and the drive unit is not as important as in previous bottom drive design systems, and the mixing unit can even be driven by the drive unit at an angle relative to the mixing unit, making the mixing operation more flexible and easy to install, and also suitable for top drive mixing systems.

The bottom-driven agitation system can simplify the design and operation of the mixing system, including the equipment, control system, and consumables. The present invention utilizes the open top cap and bracket as a suspension system to maintain and secure the impeller rather than securing the impeller directly from the bottom of the flexible bag, which provides a more stable mechanical structure during mixing, and the stable mechanical structure also provides an impeller or impellers with larger blades to enhance mixing at slower speeds, and still allows the drive unit to be located at the bottom of the flexible bag. The rotating member is located on top of the impellers, which are connected by a shaft supported by a bracket with an opening. The rotating member may be a ball joint made of glass, other materials that can withstand friction during rotation, or a bearing. A stent having an opening is welded and fixed to the film inside the flexible bag from the bottom or the top of the flexible bag. A first magnetic member, such as a magnetic plate, magnetic rod or magnetic ring, is secured to the bottom of the shaft without contacting the film of the flexible bag. The drive unit is made by driving motor, connector and second magnetic part, and the second magnetic part is made for magnetic sheet, magnetic rod or magnetic ring, and the drive unit is placed in the outside of flexible bag and is located the mixing unit directly below. The second magnetic plate on the drive motor outside the flexible bag will drive the first magnetic plate inside the flexible bag, thereby driving the impeller to mix.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partial structure of a fluid mixing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of a fluid mixing device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a side sectional view and an enlarged side sectional view of a partial structure of a fluid mixing device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure:

101. an impeller; 101', an impeller; 102. a first magnetic plate; 111. a second magnetic plate; 103. a shaft lever; 104. a ball joint; 104', a bearing; 104' of a bearing; 105. a top cover; 106. a support; 107. a first support member; 107', a first supporting part; 107', a second support; 116. a second support member; 108. a film; 109. a drive motor; 110. a connector; 112. a flexible bag; 113. an anchor post; 114. a gear; 115. a connecting device; 117. a suspension rod; 118. a rigid container; 119. an adjustment device; 120. a conduit; 121. a fluid; 122. a port; 123. an opening; 124. and (7) an outlet.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings as examples to provide a more complete understanding of the utility model. The description herein may be broadly applied to other embodiments, and any such embodiments may be easily substituted, modified, or equivalent changes within the spirit of the present invention, for example, two impellers means more than two, and the shape and size of the impellers are only examples and not limited to the design drawings. The design of the bracket with the openings, the bracket and the bearing need not be the same design drawing, but any design that can fulfil the required function is within the scope of the utility model. The patentable rights of the utility model should be defined with the claims as filed. It is particularly noted that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent actual sizes or quantities of parts, and that some details may not be fully drawn for clarity of the drawings.

The fluid mixing device comprises a flexible bag, a supporting unit, a mixing unit and a driving unit, wherein the flexible bag can be used for inputting and containing fluid, the supporting unit is fixed on the inner side of the flexible bag, the mixing unit is used for disturbing the fluid in the flexible bag, and the driving unit is used for driving the mixing unit to rotate. The flexible bag is a disposable and foldable flexible packaging bag. The mixing unit is accommodated in the flexible bag and rotatably fixed to a supporting unit accommodated in the flexible bag or partially exposed on an outer side surface of the flexible bag. The driving unit is arranged outside the flexible bag, corresponds to the position of the mixing unit, and drives the mixing unit to rotate in a non-contact mode so as to homogenize the fluid. In the following, different embodiments of the fluid mixing device according to the utility model will be described by way of example.

Referring to fig. 1, a flexible bag 112, which may be a disposable soft container, is formed with a film 108 for receiving and containing a fluid, and when the fluid is to be homogenized, the flexible bag 112 may be disposed in a rigid container 118. The mixing unit comprises a first magnetic plate 102 (i.e. a first magnetic member), a shaft 103 and an impeller 101, and the supporting unit comprises a bracket 106 having an opening, a first supporting member 107 and a top cover 105 having an opening. In the first embodiment, the first magnetic plate 102 has at least one magnetic block, magnetic ring or magnetic disk embedded in the first magnetic plate 102, the bottom end of the shaft 103 is fixedly disposed at the center of the first magnetic plate 102, the top end of the shaft 103 is connected to the ball joint 104, and the impeller 101 is fixedly disposed on the first magnetic plate 102. A first rotating member, such as a ball joint 104, is supported by a cap 105 having an opening and a holder 106 having an opening, and rotates together with the shaft 103 and the impeller 101. The bracket 106 is mounted on a first support 107, the first support 107 being secured by welding to the inside of a flexible bag 112 formed by a membrane 108. Accordingly, the support unit including the bracket 106 having the opening serves as a suspension system to position the ball joint 104, the impeller 101, the shaft 103, and the first magnetic plate 102 such that the ball joint 104, the impeller 101, the shaft 103, and the first magnetic plate 102 do not contact the membrane 108 during the rotation of the agitating fluid.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the flexible bag 112 further comprises an alignment unit comprising a plurality of anchor posts 113, the plurality of anchor posts 113 protruding from the bottom of the first support 107 outside the membrane 108, these anchor posts 113 being fixedly connectable with a rigid container 118 for alignment with a drive unit outside the flexible bag 112. A rigid container 118 made of plastic or metal and housing the flexible bag 112 for handling, wherein the center of the rigid container 118 may be closed or have an opening. The driving unit is disposed outside the flexible bag 112, and the driving unit includes a driving motor 109 having a connector 110, and the driving motor 109 is connected to a second magnetic plate 111 (i.e., a second magnetic member), wherein the second magnetic plate 111 can be located at an opening position of the rigid container 118 and corresponds to the first magnetic plate 102 in the flexible bag 112. The driving unit drives the first magnetic plate 102 in the flexible bag 112 to rotate in a magnetic driving manner, and the first magnetic plate 102 drives the ball joint 104, the impeller 101 and the shaft rod 103 to rotate together to stir the fluid, so that the fluid is homogenized. The driving unit is made of a driving motor 109, a connector 110, and a second magnetic member made of a magnetic plate, a magnetic rod, a magnetic ring, or a magnetic disk, and the shape shown in fig. 1 is only an example and not a limitation.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partial structure, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the fluid mixing device further includes an adjusting device 119, and the adjusting device 119 is used for adjusting the position of the driving unit. In the first embodiment, the adjusting device 119 is connected to the driving motor 109 through a connecting rod, and during, before and after use, the gear 114 drives the adjusting device 119 to move in a direction perpendicular to the second magnetic plate 111, so that the driving motor 109 moves upwards or downwards to start or stop driving the first magnetic plate 102 in the flexible bag 112.

Fig. 3 shows a second embodiment of the fluid mixing device, please refer to fig. 1 and fig. 3, in which the first rotating member in fig. 3 is a bearing 104', wherein the bearing 104' is preferably a thrust bearing, the rest of the components are similar to fig. 1, and the driving unit may also be equipped with the adjusting device 119 in fig. 2, which is not repeated herein. Fig. 4 shows a third embodiment of the fluid mixing device, and referring to fig. 1, fig. 3 and fig. 4, in addition to the impeller 101, another impeller 101 'is further disposed on the shaft of the shaft 103 of the third embodiment, wherein the number and symmetry of the blades of the impeller 101 or the impeller 101' are not limited, and are only shown as an example. Secondly, the holder 106 with the opening may also be designed differently, for example, a cylindrical shape is changed to a gradually changing trapezoidal shape, so that the impeller 101 and the impeller 101' are more stable.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a fourth and a fifth embodiment of the fluid mixing device, respectively, and referring to fig. 1 and 5, the supporting unit of the fourth embodiment comprises a second supporting member 116 and a connecting device 115, the connecting device 115 is a box or a housing, wherein the second supporting member 116 can be fixed on the flexible bag 112 formed by the film 108 by welding, and can selectively extend to the outer side of the flexible band 112 for positioning, and the connecting device 115 is connected with the second supporting member 116. Next, the ball joint 104 as a first rotating member is rotatable, which is supported by the connecting means 115. Secondly, the fluid mixing device further comprises a suspension rod 117, optionally the suspension rod 117 being connected to the second support 116 from outside the flexible bag 112 to limit the shaft 103, the impeller 101 and the impeller 101'. Thus, the present invention is able to support the impeller 101 and the impeller 101' from the top of the flexible bag 112. Next, compared to fig. 5, in the fifth embodiment of fig. 6, the bearing 104' is used as the first rotating member and supported by the second supporting member 116, and the rest of the structure is similar, which is not described herein.

Fig. 7 shows a sixth embodiment of the fluid mixing device, please refer to fig. 1, fig. 5, fig. 6, and fig. 7, the supporting unit of the sixth embodiment can be integrated with the embodiments of the first to fifth embodiments, and the supporting unit includes a top cover 105 having an opening, a bracket 106 having an opening, a first supporting member 107, and a second supporting member 116. Next, the shaft 103 extends upwards in a holder 106 having an opening, and the shaft of the shaft 103 is connected with a cap 105 having an opening in the support unit by means of a bearing 104' (i.e. a first rotation member), the bearing 104' being supported by the cap 105 having an opening and the holder 106 having an opening, wherein the bearing 104' is preferably a rod bearing. The first supporting member 107 and the second supporting member 116 are fixed on the flexible bag 112, wherein the bracket 106 with the opening is connected and fixed on the first supporting member 107, and the second supporting member 116 is connected with one end of the shaft 103 through a bearing 104 "(i.e. a second rotating member), wherein the bearing 104" is preferably a thrust bearing, and the support of the bearing 104 "is as shown in the fifth embodiment of fig. 6, which is not described herein.

Fig. 8 is a seventh embodiment of a fluid mixing device. Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 8, the fluid mixing device of fig. 8 may be the fluid mixing device of fig. 1, 2 or other embodiments, and in addition, the fluid mixing device of the seventh embodiment further includes a contamination prevention unit, in this embodiment, the top cover 105 is a hollow structure and has a plurality of openings 123 communicating the inside and the outside of the hollow structure. On the side of the top cover 105 there is an outlet 124 communicating with the air tube 120, the air tube 120 communicating with a port 122, the port 122 being welded to the flexible bag 112 formed by the membrane 108. An air tube 120 of size less than 0.2um communicates with the port 122 to prevent contamination. Air, oxygen, or other fluid 121 enters the flexible bag 112 by being introduced into the air tube 120 from the port 122 and through the opening 123 in the top cover 105.

Fig. 9 is an eighth embodiment of a fluid mixing device. The fluid mixing device includes a flexible bag 112 for receiving and containing fluid; a support unit fixed by welding to the inner side surface of the flexible bag 112 formed of the film 108; a hanger comprising a top cover 105 and a bracket 106 extending outward from the center of the top cover 105, wherein the bracket 106 has a first magnetic member 102; a shaft rod 103, one end of the shaft rod 103 is connected with the top cover 105 through a second rotating member, and the other end of the shaft rod 103 is connected with a first supporting member 107 through a first rotating member, so that the hanger is suspended in the flexible bag 112; a driving unit for magnetically driving the hanger and the shaft 103 to rotate. The first and second rotating members are bearing 104', bearing 104 ", respectively, wherein bearing 104' is preferably a thrust bearing, and bearing 104" is preferably a rod bearing. In this embodiment, the bearing 104 'may be supported by a first support portion 107' protruding from the first support 107, and a second support portion 107 ″ protruding from the first support 107 in a hollow shape to support another bearing 104 ″.

In summary, the fluid mixing apparatus of the present invention utilizes the supporting unit formed by the top cover and the bracket as a suspension system to stabilize and fix the mixing unit, thereby providing a more stable mechanical structure and increasing the fluid mixing effect compared to a fixed mixing unit directly from the bottom of the flexible bag. In addition, the suspension system can reduce the alignment requirement of the mixing unit and the driving unit, and can drive the mixing unit and the driving unit only by mutually opposite positions at a certain angle, so that the operation is more flexible.

Claims

1. A fluid mixing device, comprising:

a flexible bag that receives and contains a fluid;

a support unit fixed to an inner side of the flexible bag;

the mixing unit comprises a shaft rod and a magnetic part, wherein one end of the shaft rod or the shaft rod is connected with the supporting unit through a first rotating part, the mixing unit is suspended in the flexible bag, and the other end of the shaft rod is connected with the magnetic part;

and the driving unit drives the magnetic piece to rotate through magnetic force.

2. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 1, wherein the support unit comprises:

the top cover is connected with one end of the shaft lever or the shaft lever through the first rotating piece;

a support member fixed to the inside of the flexible bag;

and one end of the support is connected with the top cover, and the other end of the support is connected with the supporting piece.

3. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 1, wherein the support unit comprises:

the top cover is connected with the shaft body of the shaft rod through the first rotating piece;

the first supporting piece and the second supporting piece are relatively fixed on the inner side of the flexible bag, and the first supporting piece is connected with one end of the shaft rod through a second rotating piece;

and one end of the bracket is connected with the top cover, and the other end of the bracket is connected with the second supporting piece.

4. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the top cover comprises a hollow structure having a plurality of openings therein communicating between the interior and exterior of the hollow structure, wherein one of the openings is connected by a conduit to a port of the flexible bag for the passage of fluid into and out of the flexible bag.

5. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 1, wherein the support unit comprises:

the supporting piece is fixed on the inner side of the flexible bag, the supporting piece is opposite to the driving unit, and the supporting piece is connected with one end of the shaft rod through the first rotating piece.

6. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 5, wherein the support unit further comprises a hanger bar connected to the support member from outside the flexible bag to secure the shaft.

7. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 1, wherein the mixing unit further comprises at least one impeller disposed on the shaft or the magnetic element.

8. A fluid mixing device, comprising:

a flexible bag for receiving and containing a fluid;

a support member fixed to the inside of the flexible bag;

the hanging bracket comprises a top cover and a bracket extending outwards from the center of the top cover, wherein the bracket is provided with a magnetic part;

one end of the shaft lever is connected with the top cover through a second rotating piece, and the other end of the shaft lever is connected with the supporting piece through a first rotating piece, so that the hanging frame is hung in the flexible bag;

and the driving unit drives the hanging bracket and the shaft lever to rotate through magnetic force.

9. The fluid mixing device defined in claim 8, further comprising at least one impeller disposed on the hanger.

10. A fluid mixing device, comprising:

a flexible bag that receives and contains a fluid;

a support unit fixed to an inner side of the flexible bag;

and the mixing unit comprises a shaft lever and a magnetic part, one end of the shaft lever or the shaft lever is connected with the supporting unit through a first rotating part, so that the mixing unit is suspended in the flexible bag, and the other end of the shaft lever is connected with the magnetic part.